Boss: Ronaldo is happy here

...The boy is happy here he’s got at Manchester United
...76,000 fans every week...
he knows he’s at a good club...

Reds boss Sir Alex Ferguson is unflustered by speculation linking Cristiano Ronaldo with a move away from Old Trafford and insists “the boy’s happy here”.

Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes was seen at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night with Barcelona sporting director Txiki Begiristain, prompting suggestions that the Catalan club will attempt to lure the 22-year-old to Camp Nou in the summer.

Barcelona have since rationalised the meeting, explaining Mendes represents several of their players, including Ronaldo's fellow Portuguese international team-mate Deco.

“The boy is happy here, everything is fine and there are absolutely no issues,” Sir Alex told reporters. “In modern-day football you have to accept that speculation is always rife. It’s the way of the world, you’re always going to get it.”

Sir Alex is firmly of the opinion that there is not a better player in the world than Ronaldo. His individual displays this season have been central to United’s aims to reclaim the Premiership trophy and in reaching the last 16 of the Champions League and FA Cup.

There has always been the suggestion that the boy from Madeira, a Portuguese island in the north Atlantic, would eventually favour a return to sunnier climes. But Sir Alex, who openly addressed the issue, believes there are plenty of reasons why Ronaldo enjoys being at United and will want to stay.

“It’s always an attraction, the better climate,” he said. “It’s always going to be that way. But, when you think about what he’s got at Manchester United – 76,000 fans every week. You don’t get that anywhere else. The big Spanish teams like Barcelona and Real Madrid, and Italian teams like Milan, when they have got big games they fill their stadiums. But they don’t fill them every week. Old Trafford is full all the time, which is fantastic.

“He’s at a good club and he knows he’s at a good club. He’s happy here.”

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